by June 2019 Green action across Britain has so far pushed more than 27 councils to declare a climate emergency, creating a mechanism to hold local authorities to gold standard climate action. Their action is part of a national Green Party campaign, which aims to see every council in England and Wales declare a climate emergency, in response to the UN’s warning we have until 2030 to take positive action limit climate catastrophe.

With the Government in Westminster failing to take the action needed to meet the scale of this challenge, Green Party councillors and members are stepping up to take local action to curb climate breakdown. As at Fev 25th 2019, motions calling for councils to declare a climate emergency had been passed on 25 principal authorities across England and Wales, with many speeding up commitments to go carbon neutral. Climate emergencies have also been declared on 10 parish or town councils. Bristol City Council was the first principal authority to declare a climate emergency in November 2018, with Cambridge City Council becoming the 25th on Thursday 21 February. Green London Assembly member Caroline Russell has also pushed the Mayor of London to declare a climate emergency after winning support from the London Assembly to go carbon zero by 2030.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party who won a climate emergency declaration from Lambeth Council where he is a councillor, said:

“Greens are setting the gold standard on climate action. The local people stepping up to lead where the Government has failed on climate action, are a source of hope for us all. The UN has made clear we have a limited window of opportunity before 2030 to limit climate breakdown, but the Government is twiddling its thumbs. I am incredibly proud of all Green Party councillors and members taking real climate action - it's time for Westminster to follow our example.”

Promoting Equality and Justice

In January Green Councillors in Richmond won cross-party support for a motion calling for a Living Wage for all council employees. The motion welcomed the fact that the London Living Wage is already paid to all directly employed staff and noted that a condition of them becoming an Accredited Living Wage Employer is to develop a plan to extend the London Living Wage to staff working for contractors. The Council agreed to develop a costed plan with a view to ensuring all future contracts allow for the London Living Wage within the lifetime of the contract. The Council hopes that these actions will promote a greater take up of the London Living Wage across all borough employers.

In her speech proposing the motion at the full Council meeting on Tuesday 22 January, Deputy Green Group Leader, Andree Frieze, said: 'Just this week, Oxfam announced their inequality report in which they show that the world's 26 richest people own as much as poorest 50%. It is entirely clear that rather than wealth ‘trickling down’ into the upturned palms of the 3.8 billion poorest people on the planet, money is funnelling upwards into the grasping hands of an intensely privileged, gilded few. As a council we cannot sit by and let the poor and vulnerable face increasing inequality, particularly when that inequality is happening right here in our own borough."

Supporting the most vulnarable in our communities

In December 2018 a scheme, championed by Green Councillor Maggie Allen, to prevent vulnerable care leavers from paying council tax up to the age of 25 ws agreed by Solihull Council. Coun Allen delivered a moving account of her own personal experience as a foster carer, reflecting on the story of an abused seven-year-old boy.

She said: “This is the story of just one looked after child. All stories are different, but the theme is the same. Neglect and abuse. These are children more vulnerable than our own. And many of them don’t have the emotional health to be independent at 18 and manage their own money. The sanctions available for council tax debt are severe, to exempt them until they are 25 is a small and affordable thing we can do to make things easier for them. Looked after children are our children and they are not to blame for their circumstances.”

Although Councillor Allen’s original motion was voted down by the Tories, a compromise was finally agreed which included a commitment to lobby the government to issue statutory guidance which will exempt all care leavers, nationally, from council tax up to age 25 and to call on the government to provide funding to compensate for the loss of council revenue arising from exemptions.

Ending dependence on polluting fossil fuel

Lancashire County Councillor Gina Dowding is encouraging the county’s £5bn pension fund to take into account ethical as well as financial factors and has persuaded it to sign up to the United Nations Charter Principles for Responsible Investment.

Kirklees's three Green Cllrs managed to get approved a groundbreaking provision that said any applications to drill for hydrocarbons (including fracking) in their district, would have to demonstrate as part of their planning application how they would have ‘net zero impact on climate change’. The justification for this policy is based on Government pronouncements supporting the Paris Climate Agreement.

Working with Labour and Lib Dem councillors as part of a "Rainbow Alliance", Stroud Greens have helped Stroud District Council to become the first Council in Europe to become carbon neutral in that carbon dioxide emissions from its operations have been outweighed by the reduction in emissions from energy efficiency measures and renewable energy installations it has put in place. Green Councillor Simon Pickering, chair of the committee, said: “This is a tremendous achievement, which has been delivered through a multi-pronged strategy focused on households, businesses and community buildings, as well as reducing the council’s own operational emissions. We have brought in over £36m investment into county allowing us to create jobs, cut heating bills and, of course, reduce carbon emissions. It’s been a win-win approach to tackling climate change, helping households and stimulating the local economy.

As part of keeping its own house in order, council buildings have seen significant solar panel arrays installed, lighting upgrades, and insulation and air tightness improvements. On top of these has been a programme of behavioural change encouraging staff to become more energy efficient. Village and community halls have also received funding to make them environmentally friendly and businesses across the district have also taken part in initiatives to help them reduce their emissions. However, the greatest contribution by far comes from the council’s work with households: through the Gloucestershire Warm and Well Partnership, advice and support to households on energy efficiency projects saved 2,468.6 tonnes of CO2 (75% of the carbon savings).

Greens are working to save City heritage

Green councillors in Sheffield have been working to save the Old Coroner’s Court on Nursery St, an attractive building opposite the Nursery St Pocket Park after a developer gave notice of his intention to demolish it in August 2018 and clear the land to build flats.

The issue has opened up the debate about the protection of what is left of the heritage in the city centre.

The court is an attractive and balanced building that lends a sense of calm to the area – no doubt something that was intended when family of the deceased had to attend the official courtroom of the coroner. However, it is not a listed building. When Green Councillor Douglas Johnson raised his concerns with council officers in the planning department and with heritage campaigners, he found out that the formal powers avalable to the council to protect heritage are very limited. So he then talked directly to the developer about his concerns and discussed the opportunities for a sensitive development of the area. As a result the developer agreed to withdraw his application to demolish the building and to have a fresh look at what could be done with the site.

Greens are protecting libraries

In March, contracts were signed to secure the future of the local library in Wivey, Somerset, marking a new beginning and the end of a long campaign to save the library from closure.Green Councillor David Mansell of l, worked tirelessly with the Save Wivey Library Group, the Town Council and the Wiveliscombe Area Partnership to negotiate with the County Council who will part-fund the library

In July 2018 Reading Green Councillors supporting local resident campaigners, suceeded in challenging Labour's proposed cuts to library services with the result that Palmer Park Library will remain open to the public on Saturdays.

Commenting on Labour's u-turn on cutting weekend opening at Palmer Park library, Green Party councilor Rob White said: "Well done to the library anti-cuts campaigners, especially Dave McElroy – who handed in the over-600 signature petition to save Reading libraries. He spoke well about the importance of libraries. "Following pressure from the petition which Green Party councillors have been supporting I was pleased to see Labour change their mind and propose not cutting the Saturday morning opening of Palmer Park library. Unfortunately, the other cuts to libraries, which Greens oppose, remain – a reduction of almost 10 hours at Central, cutting evening opening at Palmer Park and shaving off a few hours at each of the other libraries. It was therefore a bittersweet evening, but we will keep working to prevent further cuts to libraries and build the hours back up."

changing the culture of how we do politics

In Kidlington and in Bicester, Greens and Lib Dems are working together to bring ‘Grown Up Politics’ to the forthcoming district council elections on 2nd May. Ian Middleton is standing again in Kidlington East, where he came a close second the Conservatives last year. In Kidlington West the Liberal Democrats will be standing candidates in two seats. Neither party will be standing candidates against each other and will be endorsing each other’s respective campaigns. All three candidates have pledged to work to forward the aims of both parties if some or all of them are elected. They are campaigning for :

A stronger and more effective opposition to the Conservatives’ unhealthily large majority on Cherwell District Council;

Continued opposition to Cherwell DC’s plan to build 4,400 houses on the Green Belt in Kidlington, Yarnton and Begbroke to meet Oxford City’s housing needs. They want to ensure that any houses that are built should be genuinely affordable and aimed at local need;

Strong opposition to the Conservative’s plans for an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway especially with regard to it’s environmental and air quality impacts;

An end to Conservative cuts to local services and their failure to maintain local roads, cycle paths and pavements, schools and health facilities.

Green candidate for Kidlington East, Ian Middleton, said: “At a local level our two parties still agree on most key issues and we hope to build on the successes of last year’s campaign for both of us. Far more continues to unite us than divides us at this crucial time for our community.” Liberal Democrat candidate for Kidlington West, Katherine Tyson, said: “We want to work with the local community to make our area a better place to live. We will stand up for local needs and campaign for the infrastructure needed to support development.”

In Bicester, Green party candidate for Bicester East, Robert Nixon, will campaign alongside Independent Cllr Nick Cotter to provide a stronger voice for the people of Bicester at Cherwell District Council on issues such as improvements to public services which vulnerable residents rely on. Robert and Nick will both be campaigning for:

A stronger and more effective opposition to the Conservatives’ unhealthy large majority on Cherwell District Council and Bicester Town Council;

Stronger environmental building standards for new developments, improvements to local health services and transport links;

Cherwell District Council and Bicester Town Council to declare a climate emergency.

Green Party candidate for Bicester East, Robert Nixon, said: “I am in agreement with Nick on many issues and we intend to practise “grown up politics” in order to elect a wider range of voices to Cherwell District Council and Bicester Town Council. We will be more representative of the diverse political views of the people of Bicester. We have many issues and policies that unite us. I am thrilled to be working with Nick in the interests of the town.” Independent candidate for Bicester South and Ambrosden and current Bicester Town Councillor Nick Cotter said: “Our town is under huge pressure in regard to residential and warehouse developments. I know that Robert, if elected would be a great campaigner working with me for the benefit of all the people of Bicester.”

A recent by-election result in nearby Haddenham and Stone saw the Green party overturn a large Tory majority with over 50% of the vote, perhaps indicating a shift in public feeling towards the need for something different.

Stroud Greens entered a five-year power sharing deal with Labour on their District Council between 2011 and 2016. This was renewed after 2016 elections. One of the conditions of the deal was to move to a committee system with key decision-making meetings to be in the evening. After the five years, the council's annual independent survey revealed the highest ever resident and business approval rating of the council services since records began 14 years ago. Stroud Greens have encouraged Conservative ("opposition") councillors into cross-party meetings with officers to discuss difficult decisions, ending previous habits of closed-door decisions by a single-party cabal followed by confrontational "show" meetings.

Recycling and promoting the circular economy

In 2016 Stroud Greens were instrumental in introducing a new food waste recycling scheme for households. In the first two weeks, 60 per cent more food waste than expected was collected. The waste food goes to an anaerobic digester (below) which turns it into methane for use in the national gas main while and the digestate is used for fertilizer on farmland. By 2018, the Council had cut the amount of waste is was sending to landfill by half.

Green councillors in Exeter gained unanimous support for a motion pledging Exeter City Council to become a ‘single-use plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2018.

According to recent research, eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans each year, endangering marine life and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that by 2050 the weight of plastic in the oceans will exceed that of fish. There is also a growing understanding of the risks posed to human health by toxic chemicals present in plastics.

Councillors agreed to make Exeter City Council a ‘single-use plastic-free’ authority by the end of 2018, including an end to the purchase and procurement of SUPs through the ECC supply chain and ending the sale and provision of SUP products, such as bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws, in council buildings. The Council will also investigate the possibility of requiring pop - up food and drink vendors at council events to avoid SUPs as a condition of their contract.

The motion, proposed by Green Councillor Chris Musgrave, also commits the Council to work with tenants and operators in commercial properties owned by Exeter City Council to support the phasing out of SUP cups, bottles, cutlery and straws and re-usable and affordable food containers are available for sale in public markets and to work with festivals organisers to create policy in which single-use ‘disposable’ plastic cups are replaced at all city festivals with reusable or deposit scheme cups. The aim is that ultimately this will become a condition for obtaining a licence for large scale events.

Cllr Musgrave said: “Councils can play an important part in the fight against the eight million tonnes of plastic waste that end up in the world’s oceans each year. Exeter does well at recycling some plastics through its Materials and Reclamation Facility operation, but much plastic doesn’t get recycled, is totally unnecessary and hugely damaging to our environment. This motion gained cross-party support. We can now make Exeter single-use plastic free. We must do all we can to prevent our children inheriting a world where the weight of plastic in the oceans exceeds that of fish.”

Ending the use of toxic herbicide

In Brighton and Hove, Greens obtained an agreement with the ruling Labour council to end the use of Glyphosate – the weedkiller thought to cause cancer.

The three Green councillors on Lewes District council have persuaded the council to trial a pesticide free alternative and are running a campaign to push for a ban.

Glastonbury Greens managed to implement what is thought to be the country's first ban on chemical herbicides (for use on council owned areas). They introduced Foamstream, an eco-friendly herbicide as a replacement. You can see a video about it here

Cutting car dependency

In Suffolk in november 2018, the campaiginign group, Save our Meadows, which was set up and supported by Green County Councillor Robert Lindsday, has won a four year battle to stop a bypass being built over water meadows outside the market town of Sudbury. Councillor Lindsay said

"It is great news that Suffolk County Council have realised, at last, that the damage from a bypass built beautiful, tranquil countryside, used and loved by thousands of people, will far outweigh any supposed benefits. What is needed now is a fresh, holistic look at the transport situation in Sudbury. There are not enough buses linking Cornard with Sudbury, there is virtually no bus service to the health centre built on the north side of town and there are not enough buses linking towns people with the main employment centre on the east of town. A huge proportion of people driving to Sudbury are driving less than one mile distance. Using £10m as a seed fund, we could draw up a plan to make the town a beacon for walking and cycling and public transport. We should prioritise road space for bus lanes, cycle lanes and pedestrians, encouraging more people to leave their cars at home.”

Mid Suffolk District councilllor Rachel Eburne battled for six years to get super fast broadband for residents of her Suffolk village Haughley Green where many residents had internet services equivalent to dial up. The move importantly reduces car dependency for residents of villages by allowing them to work and shop from home.

Edinburgh Greens consistently backed schemes which improve walking and cycling in the city - and developed the first "towpath code" for the Union Canal.

Standing up for residents against the developer's bulldozers

Lambeth Greens joined residents of a sheltered housing block campaigning against the Labour-led council's plan to demolish it and sell the site to developers. As a result of the actions in Green councillor Scott Ainslie's ward, Labour shelved demolition plans for that block and other sheltered units in the borough.

The success of Lambeth Greens' sheltered housing campaign led to residents of other council-owned housing estates facing the bulldozer asking for Lambeth Green Party's help. Cllr Ainslie forced the council to publicly scrutinise its decision to demolish Cressingham Gardens - a large estate in Lambeth. This bought the residents time to build a legal case to seek and win a judicial review. Residents have overwhelmingly voted for a retro-fitted refurb and to stay in their homes. Labour, who nearly lost an important by-election to the Greens, appear to have backtracked on demolition plans.

Safer streets for people

York Greens secured the first 'trial' 20mph residential street in York that ultimately led to a citywide scheme. They also secured a 20mph limit outside two local schools in spite of it being on a trunk road. Stroud Greens have implemented area-wide 20mph limits across much of the town and further afield as well as introducing innovative traffic calming measures. In the London Borough of Lambeth, the Labour-led council introduced a borough-wide 20mph limit after years of Green campaining.

Putting green space and public access above developer profit

Before he was elected a councillor, Paul Woodhead at Cannock Chase Green Party launched a petition which gained over 11,000 signatures to stop the council selling off green spaces. This forced a debate at Full Council which resulted in a unanimous decision not to sell. Several community groups are now involved in the shaping of green spaces in their localities.

In the town of Frome, Somerset, Mendip District Council wanted to sell off an island of green space with a school on one side and houses on the other three. The three Green councillors led by Shane Collins persuaded the council to change its mind, instead leasing it back to the community for kids to play and parents to meet after school.

Community right to build

Stroud Greens, who co-administer the council, won the first 'Community Right to Build' order in the country which was approved for the town of Nailsworth, allowing a local Community land Trust to build 10 new affordable houses for rent which will not be subject to right to buy .

Biodiversity

Worcester's two Greens devised a city plan with the other parties which highlights the need to enhance the City’s biodiversity and to source renewable energy. A biodiversity working group has been formed. They also secured a ban on the use of snares, which cause unneccessary pain to animals, on Council-owned land.